GARY PULLIN

BY REBECCABOWSLAUGH

The first impression of “Ghoulish” Gary Pullin is a blast of violent colour—pop culture meeting mass murder. The subject of his art nearly overshadows his talent as an illustrator; monsters and creatures that follow you home through the shadows and wake you in the night. Not only are his creatures ablaze with frightening detail, but also the complexities of each design make it impossible to look away. Pullin is Rue Morgue magazine’s original art director, the 2009 Artist of the Year in the Rondo Hatton Awards, and has artwork featured around North America in galleries, movie posters, and on vinyl albums. Our fascination with the man behind the proverbial horror mask competes with our delight in his work; INSPADES Magazine took pleasure in peeling away the layers that make up Ghoulish Gary.

Like so many artists today, Pullin was raised on a hearty diet of movies and television. However, unlike other kids watching Saturday morning cartoons, Pullin absorbed as much horror as he could. It all began with The Hilarious House of Frightenstein, a Canadian sketch comedy show from the 70s starring Billy Van and the king of low-budget horror films–Vincent Price. Sure it was made for kids, but with characters like Dracula, The Wolfman, and Grizelda the Ghastly Gourmet, things often got more than weird.

“That was my gateway drug to horror,” admitted Pullin. “It was so psychedelic and weird that I was mesmerized by it. It wasn’t scary at all, but it was spooky and very funny. It introduced me to Vincent Price and all of the monsters all at once.”

Growing up, Pullin was always drawing, gravitating towards monsters and villains, while feeding off the horror novels of Stephen King. Naturally, he went to art school in London, Ontario, and then studied graphic design and advertising in Kitchener, Ontario.

In 1998, Pullin moved to Toronto and worked in a commercial design firm, where he developed labels and packaging for big name brands and worked with some of the best art directors in the commercial design industry.

However, his love for horror was never far from sight. That same year, Montreal’s legendary Fantasia International Film Festival had come to the Bloor Cinema (now The Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema). It was there at a horror film screening that Pullin first met the publishers of Rue Morgue magazine. “They were selling the first three issues in the lobby and I couldn’t believe there was a horror film magazine published in Toronto; I had to get involved,” said Pullin. “I hit it off with the publisher, Rodrigo Gudino, and before I knew it, I was their in-house artist.”

Pullin continued working at his day job at the design firm, stopping at the end of each workday only to pick up his freelance work for Rue Morgue in his free time. As the magazine continued to gain popularity, Pullin was hired as the full-time art director in 2001, illustrating many of their covers and

helping to establish the brand. He left the corporate world behind and never looked back.

Pullin’s inspiration as an artist comes from a variety of sources, but mainly focuses on comic book artists and painters from the 1950s through the 1980s. Tales from the Crypt artists, Ghastly Graham Ingles and Jack Davis, illustrators like Bernie Wrightson (Swamp Thing, Creepshow) and Charles Burns (Black Hole), and painters like Basil Gogos, were all major influences on Pullin’s style.

“Gogos’ vivid portraits of classic movie monsters that beamed off the covers for Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine will always inspire me.” Pullin was also influenced by his love of poster art. Robert Kastle, who painted the iconic JAWS poster, Saul Bass who created posters for The Shining, Vertigo and Psycho, and Bob Peak’s work, including Apocalypse Now, The Island, and The Spy Who Loved Me. And of course, Pullin’s inspiration also comes from the origin of horror—each monster and villain he’s ever seen. JAWS, Boris Karloff’s portrait of the monster in Frankenstein, and Wes Craven’s Freddy Krueger are all memorable for Pullin, as well as the creature from the black lagoon. “The Creature From The Black Lagoon is a beautiful and iconic monster design. It still works for me. If they remade it today, it would be a computer generated gill man, running, leaping and doing cartwheels under water, but I’ll take the guy in a rubber suit over computer generated wizardry any day.” Not only does Ghoulish Gary appreciate the appeal of the monster, but he also understands the fear created by the absence of the monster. “I think the scariest monsters are created in an audience’s mind.” Proof of this theory can be seen in JAWS, wherein the shark isn’t even revealed until halfway through the film. “Chances are the shark was scarier in your head than when you see it pop out of the water for the first time. It’s still scary and effective, but nothing will ever live up to the dread you’ve conjured up in your mind.”

In 2012, Pullin decided to break out and start his own design company, but continues to work with Rue Morgue through his monthly art column, “The Fright Gallery”. While Pullin finds working for himself to be gratifying, he also told INSPADES Magazine that it comes with its own set of challenges. Balancing many projects at the same time means he has to miss out on socializing and other aspects of his personal life. Luckily, Pullin’s supportive wife helps with the business. However, he likes to think his current success is temporary, thereby encouraging himself to keep busy.

“I enjoy sequestering myself to my studio for long periods of time to create the work and meet the deadlines,” said Pullin.

Pullin’s illustrations cover a wide variety of formats, including magazine covers, movie posters and vinyl cover design, including the soundtrack designs for Creepshow, Re-Animator, Wes Craven’s Scream, My Bloody Valentine, Black Christmas, and The Monster Squad, which are some of Pullin’s favourite films.

One of Pullin’s more memorable commissions came in 2013, when he was asked by Mondo to create an official poster for Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Despite feeling intimidated by Saul Bass’s original design, which is often seen as one of the most influential film posters of all time, Pullin was excited to give it a try.

“The eyeball idea is my nod to Saul Bass’s original, and the staircase idea became the variant,” he said. He submitted several ideas and Mondo chose two of them. Although each design is a lot of work, Pullin said the process is “fun and rewarding,” and he enjoys the challenge of telling a story through a single image.

For Pullin, one of the best things about working in the horror industry is the fans. “It’s an instant bond,” he explained. “You don’t always have to agree on the films or music, but there’s a common love there.”

The other great thing about the horror industry are the conventions and film festivals. In a hotel brimming with film fans and stars, Pullin is able to connect with those who know or collect his work.

“I’ve also been fortunate enough to work with some filmmakers and musicians I grew up admiring,” he said. “So it’s kind of surreal when you get notes from them or when they compliment your work.”

Although Pullin’s first love is horror, he is also passionate about science fiction, comedy and documentaries, and has begun to increasingly work outside the horror industry to show off his storytelling capabilities and display his versatility.

Pullin has worked on a couple of Batman properties with Warner Bros., and was recently picked out of a handful of artists to create a special art print for a show called Star Trek: 50 Years. 50 Artists. “I was shocked when I got the email from CBS to participate,” admitted Pullin, “I still don’t know how they found me, but I’m glad they did.”

And the story isn’t anywhere near over for Ghoulish Gary. He is being featured in an upcoming documentary about the art of film posters called 24 x 36: A Movie About Movie Posters. Not only is his art featured in the film, but Pullin was also able to collaborate on the movie poster with other great artists in the industry. It is premiering at Fantastic Fest in Texas. “I’m thrilled with the movie,” said Pullin, “I think it’s really going to change people’s perspectives on illustrated movie art and hopefully win over some new people.”

And he’s right. Even if you’re too scared to watch the movie being advertised, one look at Ghoulish Gary’s work is enough to bring forth admiration and illustrator’s envy from anyone, even the most fearsome of viewers. If you want to meet up with Ghoulish Gary Pullin, he’ll be at MondoCon in Austin, Texas (Oct 22–23) and Days of the Dead in Chicago (Nov 18–20).

YEAR ONE INSPADES ART BOOK ONE YEAR of inspiration, collecting the best artists, creative thinkers, visionary minds that will blow your mind! Hardcover, luxury print on proline pearl paper, a must-have exclusive piece in your collection only at https://www.blurb.ca/user/INSPADES